Porcupine Ridge needful things

Even as the words tumbled from his tongue he regretted them. It was not in his nature to be so unkind, and his heart wrenched to see the pain on the she-wolf's face, to hear how it constricted the words she replied with. But he steeled himself, even as she wretched into the grass he held himself firm in belief that he was doing the right thing. That it was fair of him to ensure his own breeding rights by dispatching the illegitimate, that he had been kind in offering her the choice to birth elsewhere... but as he watched her run and disappear from sight, he was struck by a sickening, cold grip on his heart as a new realization dawned, and he sank to his haunches with a swear hissed under his breath.

He had just sent a tender packmate off on her own, pregnant... and in doing so may have condemned her to death. It was his responsibility as the alpha male to not only look out for the pack, but the individuals that composed it. Once more, the black wolf felt he had failed. He hung his head, and brewed for many hours on the conflict that roiled in his breast. The dream of becoming a leader and having his own pack had not prepared him for all the conflict that would come with it as he tried to make the right decisions but never seemed able to.

Rooted to the spot by his own turmoil, he did not chase her.